Yanx/Sawx

[Guest SI Metman]

I think the post is onto something today:

[MFS62]

It was funny listening to the Yankee announcers making excuses for the Jeter non-catch of the popup that opened up the gates for the winning Bosox rally. So it was windy. Isn't "the greatest shortstop of all time" supposed to know how to catch everything? (If you didn't see it, the ball landed about 15 feet away from him. That's strange, there were no hurricaine warnings in New England last night)

Later

[Centerfield]

Didn't he also get picked off of second?

[Elster88]

I can't figure out who the chick is in the bottom left of that cover. Is it Jessica Alba? Or maybe no one famous?

[Willets Point]

Whoever it is she needs a sandwich.

[Elster88]

That too.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Ran past the base not seeing where the play was (rare for Jeter); and proceeded to act like he was completely safe when he wasn't (not rare for Jeter).

Torre was so matter-of-fact in his "umpire blew it" post-game comments the writers just ate it up.

[Centerfield]

By the way, none of the papers mention anything about a pop fly that Jeter failed to catch.

[seawolf17]

Because reporters would be fired if they mentioned it.

[MFS62]

Centerfield wrote: By the way, none of the papers mention anything about a pop fly that Jeter failed to catch.

Revisionist history.
All reference to that play will be forever stricken from the annals of baseball.

Later

[Centerfield]

Who hit the ball? Where was it hit? Can you tell us a little more?

[Frayed Knot]

Jeter on 1st, G-i-am-bi up.
- Giambi grounds one into the hole bet 1st & 2nd, fairly close to 1st actually with that big shift on
- Mark (Sweet) Loretta tracks it down on the OF grass and makes a nice spin/throw to a retreating Youkilis to get JG at 1st
- Youk sees Jeter making a big turn (anticipating that the ball might get thru) and throws behind him after double-clutching

He may or may not have been safe. The ump was to the IF side of the base and was blocked off from the tag as Jeter slid in to the OF side of 2nd. No camera angle showed it definitively one way or the other -- which is why it's comical for anyone except Jeter himself to claim that it was a bad call (and the next call Jeter agrees with will be his first). He may have been safe but it's pure speculation. Russo, of course, knows otherwise.

[Centerfield]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. Can you tell me about the pop fly he supposedly missed? Is it a ball that should have been caught? Was it hit to the middle of the field? Sideline?

Thanks.

On Edit: And with respect to the pickoff, safe or not, isn't the golden rule you don't make the 3rd out trying to get to 3rd base? (And you certainly don't make the third out going back to second base after realizing it was foolish to attempt to get to 3rd in the first place.)

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

The pop fly was hit very high and appeared to be carried by the wind. Cano at 2B first looked to make the play and before you know it he's on the left side of 2nd waiting for it to come down while backpedaling. Jeter is also backpedaling and, ball still in the air -- here comes Matsui and Arod.

Ball lands untouched, IIRC, to the left of Cano AND Jeter, and in front of Matsui.

It was comical in that it took so long for the ball to come down, the right fielder and catcher and Torre could all have camped under it.

[Centerfield]

Thanks JD.

[Frayed Knot]

Rain gets Yanx out of a somewhat unfavorable Beckett/Chacon matchup